Awesome games people should know about!

[Rez09]

Have a great game to share that you think most people haven't heard of? Or maybe a title that may have been overlooked among other great releases? Perhaps even something people have heard of but you feel still hasn't gotten the attention it deserves? Want to spread some love to these underappreciated games?

I know I do! \ ^_^ /
And that's why I'm going to share them in this thread!
4dAikK0.png
(And you should share yours too!)

These games don't have to be among the best games ever, nor do they have to represent the best a console or genre has to offer, they just need to be what you feel are:

Awesome games everybody should know about!
(+5 dramatic fanfare here)

For my first game, I'm going to throw out some hints to see if anyone can guess it before revealing it.

1) It's a Sega Master System game
2) It involves a knight
3) And a trapped princess
4) It does not involve lances
5) There be dragons

Think you know it?
Annnnnnnnd behind spoiler curtain #1 . . .

Pit-Pot: the Magical Castle - Sega / Sega - 1985 - Puzzle / Action

About two years ago I went on a quest I dubbed 'exploring the Sega Master System' where I played every game on the system for at least twenty minutes or until a gameover. There were some great games, and some terrible (though damn pretty, I have to say) ones, but most ultimately ended up forgettable; three games, however, surprised the hell out of me.

Pit Pot was one of those titles.

Initially I had very low expectations for the game, especially after playing Astro Warrior which it was bundled with, but then a witch threw me a hammer, the ultimate weapon of manly knighthood and do-it-yourself home improvement.

I was intrigued.

When I got into the game itself, it wasn't the sub-par platformer I was expecting, but instead a top down affair with a maze to navigate, monsters to bash, and loot to collect. Then I got to the princess at the end and got a game over because I'm a terrible person and, maybe, smashed the platform she was on and dropped her into the dark abyss. Then I got there again, didn't drop her, and got a game over anyway because I didn't have the items I needed.

It was at this time I realized the game wasn't the standard 'get to the end' affair I was used to, but instead a puzzle game of sorts where you have to navigate the maze to find these items. So, I busted out my trusty notepad and pencil and set forth again, mapping the dungeon as I went along. THEN I found out, after scouring every room for treasure except one that didn't appear to open and still getting a game over, that every room DOES, in fact, open and sometimes you have to explore the surrounding rooms for a less apparent way to get into them. I learned that destroying or hammering certain tiles can make items appear / disappear, and I began to wonder what else I had missed in the castle.

Somehow, by the time I completed the second stage, my 'twenty minute, one game over' affair had morphed into a 'two hour, ten+ game over' exploration fest, and I wasn't the least bit sad about it. In fact, I went back to it a few months ago and had just as much fun as the first time on the next difficulty up.

If you like puzzle games and exploring castles, trying out new things and making simple maps (not to mention bashing everything you don't like with a hammer) along the way, then you should really give this game a try. It's far from the best the SMS has to offer in any field, but it is (wait for it . . . ) an awesome game you should know about.

HAMMAH! SMASH! GOBARIN!